Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, usually arising from past asbestos exposure, but symptoms don’t manifest until years later. The prognosis and survival rate are typically considered poor, with survival estimated at less than a year, but emerging new therapies are a little more optimistic. Because conventional therapies are not curative for the overwhelming majority of mesothelioma patients, researchers are investigating new types of mesothelioma treatments and therapies. One approach that may yield promising results is anti-angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenesis is a form of therapy that uses drugs or other substances to stop tumors from making new blood vessels. Without a blood supply, the cancers cannot grow effectively. Today, there are several hundred clinical trials of anti-angiogenesis drugs under way.
There are three different types of mesothelioma:
- Pleural Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma which starts in the chest cavity, or pleura.
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma which starts in the abdomen, or peritoneum.
- Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma which starts in the space around the heart, or pericardium.
Though the use of asbestos was largely discontinued around 1978, the incidences of mesothelioma continue to rise. According to Dr. Michael R. Harbut, co-director, National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers:
The diseases range from scarring of the lungs and lung cancer, to a particularly horrific form of cancer, mesothelioma. The significant thing is the latency period is 15-40 years, so we began climbing a plateau in 1993 and it will continue to 2018. There are 10,000 deaths a year and that number will climb.
It matters because the evidence is that the asbestos manufacturers knew long ago that asbestos-containing products were unsafe because the asbestos dust created during use of their products could cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. However, for many years, the asbestos companies failed to warn workers about the dangers of asbestos even though the companies knew about the medical connection between asbestos and mesothelioma as well as lung cancer and asbestosis. All of the deaths were preventable.
